Pubdate: Wed, 25 Apr 2001
Source: Northwest Florida Daily News (FL)
Copyright: 2001 Northwest Florida Daily News
Contact:  http://www.nwfdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/313

TWO MORE VICTIMS

The latest victims of America's war on drugs were not drug kingpins or even 
some harmless drug users. They were a young missionary woman and her infant 
daughter. They were the latest innocents killed in our government's attempt 
to keep individuals from engaging in behavior of which it does not approve.

Veronica Bowers, 35, of Michigan, and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, 
were killed Friday when a Peruvian A-37B Dragonfly attack plane fired on 
the single-engine float plane in which they were riding over the Amazon jungle.

The U.S. government is claiming the Peruvian fighter pilot violated 
established rules of engagement when it fired on the missionary plane. A 
simple call to the air tower would have confirmed the plane was on a 
legitimate mission.

Still, it was disturbing to learn of the involvement of U.S. personnel.

The location of the missionary plane was given to the Peruvian fighter 
pilot by the crew of a CIA tracking plane. Although the U.S. government 
claims the Peruvian fighter pilot was told not to fire on the plane, the 
U.S. anti-drug team is still complicit in the deaths by its act of 
initially radioing the location of the missionary plane to the Peruvian 
fighter.

Ideally, the deaths of the Bowerses would cause the U.S. government to 
reconsider the devastating toll its continued prohibition on drug use and 
its effort to enforce that prohibition with military force is having. But 
we won't hold our breath.

We were encouraged, however, to hear that U.S. drug interdiction flights 
over Peru have been temporarily suspended.

It's time to end the failed war on drugs before another innocent person is 
killed.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager